Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (Paris: CLF) announced today it was named to the Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders, achieving an overall ranking of 97 among other publicly traded global companies. In addition, it ranked fourth among the 64 companies recognized in the Metals and Mining category.

The Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders Ranking was released for the first time in September of 2010 by CRD Analytics, a leading provider of independent sustainability investment analytics. The Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders reviewed more than 5,000 Companies that are publicly traded on a major global exchange; have a minimum market capitalization of $1 billion USD; and have published a sustainability report with full-year environmental, social, governance (ESG) data for the 2008 calendar year before Oct. 31, 2009.

"Ranking in the top tier of the overall index and within the Metals and Mining sector is an immense honor for Cliffs Natural Resources, as well as an excellent benchmark for the Company to determine its performance as a sustainable enterprise on a global scale," said Kelly Tompkins, executive vice president, legal, government affairs and sustainability, of Cliffs. "We receive this recognition ever mindful of the Company's longstanding commitment to the principles of sustainability, which have served us well for more than 163 years. As Cliffs continues its growth in the international mining and natural resources industry, the commitment to environmental excellence and social responsibility is unwavering."

Companies meeting the criteria are force-ranked by total Sustainable Performance Value (SPV), calculated as the average of four performance dimensions: financial, environmental, social and governance.

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